Modern Timeline
481 Halgudar claims that raids into their territory are actually secretly conducted by Rynith military forces. Archimage Kyrrath and the Mage Court refuse to acknowledge the claims of the Halgudari. The raids continued until 510 when Halgudar withdrew entirely from their lands. The new realm has been named Kyrrathis in the archmages' honour. 482 The capitol of Halgudar, Dobbyn, is sacked and razed by barbarians. Rynith military forces are also seen in the area, and the Halgudari saw this as yet another Rynith attack upon their land. 487 * 487 Winter Volek ousts the Pick Council, and declares himself King of Gesnor * 487 Spring The war seriously escalates as Karandia plans a major offensive at a weakened spot in the Icaran lines, at a place called Timrin’s Field. Icara, learning through its spies of the Karandian plan, mustered a huge force for a counter-attack. The Karandian offensive never came; the whole plan was a ruse. Mercenary companies employed by Karandia were able to infiltrate and raze the relatively unprotected capitol of Icara. * 487 Summer In an attempt to save his country from utter defeat, the surviving ranking Icaran commander, Brigadier-Marshal Stang, declared martial law, forming a new government from his command staff. 488 Brightly colored jesters arrive from Shorn, proclaiming: “Duke Marlon the XXIII has elevated a common soldier to the regal position of Baron of the Westlands for protecting his esteemed Dukish life in the face of a Querling assassination attempt.” * 488 Autumn After a year of negotiations Gesnor, Palrim, and Thorin sign The Three Peaks Accord, creating a powerful military alliance in central north Xaria. 489 Campaign is created in Ithaca, New York. * 489 Autumn On the Eastern coast of Shorn, the monastery of Bel Juddaht is attacked by the pirate fleet of Caern “the Reaper”. The attack lasts a day and anight, with the dawn revealing the fleet destroyed in the bay and the dead strewn about the wreckage. Since the attack, reports state that the dead carcasses of both ship and people have remained, never deteriorating, kept in a magikal state of preservation. 490 * 490 Spring King Fredrick II, called Fredrick the Fair by the people of Chalter Medrium, is found dead in his chambers. His only living son, Xavier, is too young to rule. The brother of Fredrick the Fair, Winslow, is named Regent. Lured to a peace conference under the flag of truce, the Karandian King Redmond IV is assassinated in an obvious retaliatory strike for the destruction of the capitol of Icara. In an emergency measure, Redmond’s honor guard Gregory Jasper is appointed regent. King Pembroke ascends to the throne of Karandia, replacing Regent Gregory Jasper. Prince Xavier of Chalter Medrium is feared lost along the elven border. Regent Winslow assumes the throne, taking the name Fredrick III. Only weeks after his coronation, he begins a series of proclamations that seek to rid Chalter Medrium of all ‘adventuring types, landless beggars”, and eventually, elves. 492 * 492 Summer In Chalter Medrium, it is now apparent to all that Fredrick III is mad, as he commands his army to remove all persons from the capitol city of Grath. He further orders that all elves found within the country are to be killed on sight. 493 * 493 Autumn Reports of a triumvirate of mages, led by “Primor”, emerging in Rynith seeking Consortium-era magikal items, begin to circulate. At least one of the mages is believed slain. * 493 Winter An elven diplomatic mission to Grath, led by Kyril Feanor, discovers that Fredrick III is beyond reason. Feanor leads his group into the royal keep, meeting only token resistance from Fredrick’s disillusioned Royal Guard. Feanor himself strikes the fatal blow to Fredrick. Without a mature surviving heir to the throne, Chalter Medrium’s monarchy collapses. The elders met, forming a Senate, and appointed a Regent to take control of the country. 494 * 494 Spring Karandia and Icara sign an unprecedented non-aggression pact called the 'Pax Hagar'. The Veldron Knights uphold the pact by guarding the Hagar Hills, the natural wall on the border between the two countries. The attention of Rynith seem to turn away from Halgudar temporarily as the Elite Rynith Guard deals with an apparent threat from within. * 494 Summer A charismatic Dakkoran man named Terrel begins a crusade to spread hatred of the elven race. A minotaur named Graymar is discovered in Rynith. Representatives of the elven government, supported by experienced and powerful adventurers, intercede in Rynith to stop the man named Terrel who has been preaching for and leading elven genocide. * 495 Autumn Dakkor invades the undefended western border of Halgudar. War is declared between the two countries. 496 * 496 Winter Reports of fey encounters in Gherin Culloch become more frequent. * 496 Spring Goblins are found scouting the western defenses of Gallura. This is the first sighting of monsters in Gallura since the last purge ended only five years prior. The Tocard, a previously obscure Regellian sect, sets loose a powerful Titan on the people of Gallura. For the first time, Rynith openly attacks Halgudar, razing Fort Shelton. * 496 Summer The powerful Campbell clan on Gherin Culloch reasserts its control after several of the lesser clans attempt a coup. * 496 Autumn The northeastern border of Doro Y’Edhel comes under attack by dark elf military units. The dishonorable nature of the attacks challenges the skills of the Doro Y’Edhel military. This offensive increases in intensity throughout the autumn and on into winter where the longer nights provide more time for dark elves to execute more daring and extensive attacks. (Dark Elves don't act this way, this should be revised. Mike A, Oct 2007) Dakkor joins the dark elves in war against Doro Y’Edhel, attacking the eastern border through Quivera. A massive storm crashes past the southern islands, sweeping north through Jannen’s Bay. The coastlines of Irroquin, Brildor, Gallura, Quivera, and Hyrm-Chel are inundated. 497 * 497 Winter An elven task force strikes a harsh blow against Dakkor by slaying one of its field generals. * 497 Spring Chalter Medrium dispatches its most experienced troops to a mountain south of Grath. A cordon is placed around a mountain peak, where, locals say they see flashes and hear thunder at strange times, often when there are no clouds in the sky. Rumor tells of an ancient structure of some kind hidden in the alpine forest. Rynith forces lay siege to Fort Canis. Halgudari soldiers hold the Fort against the greater forces of Rynith. The legendary Sword of Cymfal is said to be seen as the Halgudari lead a successful counter-offensive against Rynith, which breaks the siege. * 497 Summer The Elven kingdom of Doro Y’Edhel announces that their King and much of his Black Rose guard were lost during fighting with the Dark Elves. Nations across Xaria send representatives to attend funerary rites. Rynith army temporarily thrown into disarray by the void created when their Commander commits treason and departs Rynith. Demons loosed in Irroquin. Veldron Knights rumored to be involved. * 497 Autumn Chalter Medrium strengthens its southern border against increased raids by the Dark Elves. Dakkor, thought to be aligned with the dark elves is also harassed by their guerrilla-style raids. In an effort to shore up its borders, Dakkor withdraws its troops from the fighting with DoroY’Edhel. A truce is formalized between the elven nation and Dakkor. 498 * 498 Summer An excited rumor spreads like wildfire across the central lands of Xaria; the priests of Dakkor have lost their magik. Theories abound, one of which proposes that the gods have rejected the Dakkoran worship of elves. Gesnor military occupies its ally, Palrim. In Rynith, the enchanted “Bonewood” begins its annual migration to the southwest. The wood shifts further than ever before recorded. It comes to rest straddling Rynith and Halgudar border. The government of Halgudar proclaims that they suspect the involvement of the Rynith Court Mages. * 498 Autumn The Godstone, though thought lost, is reported in Yentar. 499 Fear that the year 500 will somehow bring the end of the world spreads pervasively throughout the lands. Writings and stories of the Blood Sky Omen are repeated and debated in High Courts and ale halls. Fear and anxiety lead to a great rebirth in worship at temples and churches.This is a continuing trend that lasts through the turn of the century. * 499 Early Winter The Veldron Council is approached by a diplomatic courier of an island nation far to the south. In the common tongue they call themselves Dominians, and state that they are seeking political and economic ties to the mainland. Lothar Goslar, a famous DeMekrium general aiding Halgudar, is captured by Rynith. * 499 Spring Taking advantage of Dakkor's internal conflict, Gesnor begins an incursion into the northern part of that weakened country. Through the summer, the border is wholly overcome, and the Gesni troops begin the march into the interior of northern Dakkor. An official Gesni courier arrives in Lindora, expressing that King Volek is upset over the rumors that the remaining members of the Gesni resistance organization known as the Pick have been not only welcomed into Lindora, but a Gesni government-in-exile has been recognized by the Lindoran Board of Regents. Troops from Quivera begin to extend claims into now poorly defended southern Dakkor. * 499 Summer After nearly three years of combat and destruction, the dark elves vanish back into the darkness. The attacks cease as quickly and as mysteriously as they began. Still no clue has been found as to the Dark Elves’ goals. Dakkor, barely able to maintain an adequate defense in the north against the forces of the Three Peaks Accord, withdraws all its troops from the Halgudar border. The time of ‘Bonedance’ comes and goes in Rynith, but nothing happens. This is the first recorded occurrence of the Bonewood not shifting. * 499 Autumn Griffin of Magik of Karandia, Lucius Wyndham, dies. Rumors spread quickly that the Apocalypse was averted by a band of adventurers led by a criminal from Karandia named Tarrik. Tarrik Aldarion accepts position of new Griffin of Magik of Karandia. * 499 Late Winter A newly landed baron agrees to have a shrine to goddess Vashna erected within his holdings within the Duchy of Listwich in Quivera. 500 * 500 Spring Sporadic raids into western Akkoria are attributed to the government of Rynith. Akkorian forces are able to easily repel the raiding forces. The cursed Bonewood makes its annual migration to the north earlier than ever before recorded, coming to a rest north of Xain, the Rynith capitol. * 500 Summer In a grand celebration, attended by royalty and diplomats from around the continent, Akkoria marks the five hundredth anniversary of its founding. During the celebration it is learned that a spy, aided by a landed noble of Rynith, had stolen the plans for a new naval weapon. Only the prototype vessel remains in Akkorian hands. * 500 Autumn Dominia establishes political alliances on the island of Gherin Culloch. 501 * 501 Winter Fort Eduard, in far northeastern Halgudar is burned to the ground by Rynith forces. The few survivors that escaped told of a siege weapon that threw fire further than a bowshot. Woodsmen and scouts in the south of Halgudar remark that a very large group of mounted riders moved from east to west across the wastelands of Halgudar. It is very strange that no one seems to have seen this cavalry. * 501 Spring An undead army, led by several greater undead, forms in southern Dakkor, then disappears into the wilderness. * 501 Summer Massive earthquakes and a tsunami ravage the coast of Karandia. Survivors on the coast report seeing strange cloud formation on the horizon to the west. Karandian forces at highest alert as rumors spread of magik running awry. Lindora requests assistance from the government of Gesnor. A garrison of Gesni troops moves to bolster the Lindoran defenders on their border with Dakkor. * 501 Autumn DeMekrium military representatives enlist mercenaries to support Dakkor against the incursions of the Three Peaks Accord. Facing an increase of unexplained losses, both military and civilian vessels, Karandian Griffin of the Navy closes all ports on the Veldron Ocean, restricting trade to cities along the Frost Sea and the southwestern peninsula. The ancient Somtow Library, in eastern Halgudar, burns to the ground in a mysterious fire. Many report seeing Rynith cavalry and adventurers in the area. In Karandia, the streets are crowded as the night sky is alight with falling stars. This is phenomenon seen everywhere across Xaria, but nowhere as pronounced as in Karandia. Leaders and priests are at a loss to explain it. 502 * 502 Winter Karandia, still reeling from the natural disasters, finally turns its attention to the recovery efforts along the coast. Green Talon teams are dispatched to control the profiteering monsters that have moved into the area. Caravans of food and other supplies make their way to the ravaged coast. * 502 Spring Forces of the Three Peaks Accord push south to the edge of the Hriv Forest in Dakkor. The Three Peaks now controls the mountains and hills of northern Dakkor. Heavy spring rains flood large portions of Orenvale, doing extensive damage to this agrarian community. The Three Peaks sends dwarven engineers and troops to assist in the clean-up and rebuilding. * 502 Summer Though the Griffin of the Navy still has the ports closed, three fast Karandian Naval ships are seen leaving the shores, and heading west towards the horizon. Rumors amongst the villagers on the coast are that there is an island raised from the water, where powerful ancient monsters now threaten Karandia. Lindora officially requests the aid of the Gesni garrison in Lindora for aid in dealing with the rash of disappearances in the northern forests. * 502 Autumn A pall is cast over the Lindoran Harvest festival as many travelers tell of losing their comrades and loved ones to attacks by dark elves along the road. Reports of a peace treaty between Karandia and Icara are met with incredulity throughout the lands. Some rumors are spread that a force of high-ranking Icaran soldiers and Karandian Talons were seen meeting with officials in the Akkorian capitol. Rumors spread throughout Xaria that the monsters of Uragoth are united under a single banner. Icaran forces are seen fortifying their eastern border with Gesnor and Orenvale. 503 * 503 Spring : A successful Talon mission to Sha’Thraem results in the death of an ancient magus and rumors of Primor making an appearance, as well as the retrieval of runes of great power. Fighting between Karandia and Icara breaks out again after Icarans accuse the Karandians of murdering their soldiers. The Elven queen holds court for the last time as she lies on her death-bed. * 503 Summer A dwarven festival in border-closed Thorin is interrupted by an appearance of the dark elves and a small army of the Undead, with tensions rising between the human and dwarven citizens. A Baron of the Orange Duchy of Quivera, under the Orcish Warlord Kagrug, defects to southern Uragoth with an object of some power. It vanishes into the monster king’s realm despite attempts to retrieve it. * 503 Autumn Reports are confirmed of a new 'kingdom' within Uragoth, led by a monster king named Ank, who has united the various tribes under his singular rule. The Blood Sky returns, casting a crimson glow over all of Xaria for an hour. Some herald it as the end of the world, others claim it is a sign of rebirth. Rumors start to fly from the Black Duchy of Quivera that a dragon was discovered and killed. The Island of Mu, off the coast of Karandia, sinks into the seas it rose from. In a strange miracle, the resulting tidal wave seems to dissipate before it can reach Xaria’s western shore. Those tied to the black arts begin to feel their particular 'patrons' becoming more and more demanding of them but their strength seems to be growing. * 503 Winter Strange dreams plague Karandia during the Winter Solstice; it sounded like a strange rant between dating teenagers or an old married couple fighting – no one is really sure of what it all meant. 504 * 504 Spring Increasing numbers of missing person reports appear in Palrim. Fighting continues between Icara and Karandia. * 504 Summer The Caregivers Hostels, located throughout Eastern Xaria, report an alarming rise of magikally afflicted patients. The disturbing trend stops several months after it begins. Several bar patrons in different parts of Xaria report people walking into an inn or tavern and vanishing from sight. It is attributed to too much alcohol or the magikal afflictions. Dakkorians begin fighting back successfully against the Gesni and reclaim some lost territory. June 20th, 504 With the coming of dawn the Elven Queen’s spirit passed into the fey. Elves all over Xaria feel a great sense of loss and gather together to mourn her passing. From the capital, messengers are sent to relay her dying wish that her people meet together to perform the ancient rite of Tel'Quessir Weeruva. * 504 Autumn A strangely high percentage of those with magikal abilities felt their power drained for twenty-four hours. An army of gnomes is seen on the march in DeMekrium. People experience strange visions about the world coming to an end, some more violently than others. Of particular note is the Knights of Veldron and the 3 Peaks Alliance, who recall a vivid dream in which they fought the animated skeleton of a dragon. Certain Necromancers find their power increased while others feel a distinct loss. 505 * 505 Winter The elves have closed their borders, as has been done before (deep in mankind's memory). They have thanked their human allies and asked them to all leave, including royalty and ambassadors.Many elves have closed shops and homes, and left towards Doro Y'Edhel. Some elven ambassadors have left their posts, taking their staff and soldiers along with them. Chalter Medrium, Gesnor, Akkoria and Icara have seen their diplomatic paths to Doro Y'Edhel completely severed. Leaders seem to understand, but are disquieted (not angry or resentful). Quivera begins seeking new trade-routes through DeMekrium and Gallura with the paths through the southern-elven forests closed. Doro Y'Edhel is certainly the focus of the elves concerns, but other known populations are also closing ranks. In Kessid, for instance, an armored and armed elven guard now watches the neighborhoods where many of the elves live. In Palrim, the Rangers have redoubled their efforts around the Sacred Wood. Even the dwarves have seen an increase in watches amongst the Frost Elves kingdom deep in the mountain valleys. * 505 Spring The elves, through the rite of Tel'Quessir Weeruva, decide that the throne of the Elven Queen will remain vacant until her only living heir can be found and placed on the throne. The magiks protecting the forests of the elven people continues to weaken. Monster raids into Doro Y'Edhel increase as the ancient Silverlocke family of elves mysteriously vanishes from their bordering lands. * 505 Summer The disused ruins of Sarwen's Keep are reopened in Chalter Medrium after an advanced party of Ank's men are repelled.The nearby village of Wenskep is burned to the ground. Chalter Medrium's queen Clarissa, daughter of Fredrick the Mad, is coronated at the tender age of 13; ruling with the support of the Regents. * 505 Autumn The mists that surrounded the 'Thieves Isles' vanishes for a few months before making a slow return. A cult called the "Children of the Rising Star" held an Ascension ritual at the ruined Temple of Var'Nath in Sha'Thraem 506 * 506 Spring : Halgudar and Lindora sign a treaty of friendship, creating a relaxed border between the two nations. Dakkor is said to have tried to interrupt the ratification. * 506 Summer It is widely reported that Dakkor has fallen under the control of Uragoth or has become a territory of the Monster nation. Record heat waves are reported all over Xaria and is attributed to the continual vacancy on the Elven Throne. 507 * 507 Spring Heavy rainfall strikes most of Xaria's southern coast, causing flash-floods in DeMekrium and Quivera. Talrydam becomes even soggier than it already was. A fairy ring known as Detherwyn's Door is discovered and shut in the Palrim Forest. Dakkor begins pushing back against its' neighbors and regaining territory lost over the past few years. Placeholder - Rumors of a Dakkoran schism are reported as Dakkoran troops move into Lindora. * 507 Autumn Lindora falls to House Urth of Dakkor, who possesses an army of unusual undead. Urogoth withdraws from Dakkor into their own borders, ending their treaty/occupation. 508 * 508 Early Winter Bandit activity picks up in Hyrm-Chel as travelers fleeing Lindora and Halgudar escape west to Quivera, preferring the swamps over Dakkor. * 508 Summer The Church of the Mother opens several rest-stops in Hyrm-Chel along the northern borders to help refugees cross the swamps safely. * 508 Winter Lindoran fighters on the Halgudarian border report the undead withdrawing from the border back deeply into what is now deemed 'Urth'. The Wyndham Players put on "The Tale of the Mace of Kings" at a country inn and are snowed in with what remains of the Lindoran resistance. 509 * 509 Spring In what became a suicidal attack at the end of March, a band of mercenaries penetrated the Keep in Greyspire, fighting through the Gesni Army guards and the Eagle Elite to slay King Volek in his own bedchambers. It is said that none of the attackers survived. The manner of the attack was quite violent, and despite efforts by the surviving Eagle Elite, word of the deed is spreading across Xaria. A political storm rages in the capitol as many factions seek power in this sudden vacuum. The few dwarven forces still serving as Three Peaks Accord soldiers in the Volek Province of Gesnor (northern Dakkor) have begun to disengage from the defensive lines, and start the long march back to their homeland. The remaining Gesni soldiers are dispirited, but still holding the line. * 509 Fall Halgudar pulls out entirely of their own lands, leaving it to the Rynith. The newly annexed lands are renamed Kyrrathis.There are rumors of a silver dragon seen in the region. 510 * 510 Spring The Harborage of Ambik in Hyrm-Chel is ransacked and destroyed by highly organized bandits. * 510 Summer Record heatwaves blast much of Xaria, shattering the records set several years prior. A number of elderly persons were found dead in their homes in Kura'Stan, Quivera from heat exhaustion. The ongoing difficulties in weather are again attributed to the continued lack of an elven monarch. The Order of Veldron and the Church of the Mother purchase a large number of supplies in Kura'Stan to be sent into the swamps of Hyrm-Chel, for the purpose of rebuilding a second destroyed Harborage. Lindoran refugees report the Badlands near their former home have grown beyond their traditional borders at an alarming rate and strange new creatures were seen. * 510 Fall The last of the Lindoran army and remaining Witchmuellers are absorbed into the forces of Kyratthis. 511 * 511 Spring The heir to one of the Quiveran duchies was rumored to have defected to the elven lands in a betrayal of humanity, and was last seen attempting to cross the borders to the west. News of Ankh's armies attempting to move southward into Quivera are reported. 512 * 512 Winter Certain soothsayers, seers and prophets in Traaü in Karandia, Kor Elan in Akkoria and Raslowe in Quivera claim dire portents for the coming year. They speak of this as the "Year of Destruction," warning of an imminent doom to rival that of the averted Apocalypse. However, many prominent sages dismiss their readings as faulty or the ravings of madmen.